"Angel, would you and Ethan mind finishing up here? I've going home," Dego spoke to the two remaining people in the room.
"I gotcha Dego, you go on," Aiden called from a table he was cleaning off.
"Okay, do you want me to show her how to close?" Angel asked, refusing to even say my name as usual.
"Not tonight, she's actually coming with me," he said briskly, handing me my coat and flashing a quick smile as he stepped around her.
I put my sleeves into the coat and sidestepped the seething girl, grabbing my purse and following Dego.
"Goodnight y'all," I called.
"Goodnight Avery, see ya," Aiden called.
Angel had her back to me and I didn't bother listening to see if she'd say anything.
Dego put his hand on my waist as he led me to my Jeep, and I shivered. It was mid October and beginning to be very cold in the evenings.
"Follow me," he said, shutting my door with a smile.
There were no cars this time when we pulled into his driveway, and I didn't know if it was because it wasn't the day of the week that they all came or if he'd told his family to stay away, but I was kindof glad it would just be us.
The same warm, inviting smell enveloped me when I entered his house, and realized it was from several candles burning throughout.
"Dego, do you leave these candles burning all day? You could burn your house down," I chided, leaning over to smell one.
"No, my housekeeper lights them when she's done, and she only cleans an hour before I get home on this day so it's not a big deal," he said, tossing his keys on the counter.
"Ahh, I see. Well still ya never know," I said.
"Are you..." Dego approached me and caged me in with his hands resting on the counter behind me," telling me... what to do...young lady?"
I giggled nervously. "Noooo...I'm just...offering...an alternative viewpoint you may not have considered?"
He threw his head back and laughed.
"Oh that's what you call it eh?"
"Mhmm."
"Well thank you for that alternative viewpoint, but I like my candles so you'll have to not let it bother you."
"I've never heard of a guy caring about candles before."
"Well I'm special," he said in a somewhat childish voice, making me laugh and push him away.
He retreated laughing and grabbed a teapot.
"What do you want to drink?"
"Hmmmm do you have... hot chocolate?"
"You can check, that cupboard right there," he motioned.
I found some and in a few minutes I kicked off my shoes and sat on the couch with my hot mug cradled in my hands, Dego sinking down next to me.
"What do you feel like watching?" He asked, turning on Netflix.
"Hmmmm...I like...dramas, comedies...documentaries, thrillers. Not horror movies, but thrillers."
"Okay, let's find a thriller," he said, grinning.
I liked scaring myself, not causing psychological and spiritual damage to my body.
"Hey, do you have anything more comfortable to change into?" Dego asked, turning to me.
"Oh...no I didn't think about that," I said dismayed. I was thinking about it now though, glancing down at how my skirt was riding up around my thighs and the buttons on my shirt were straining uncomfortably across my chest. Definetely not clothing for lounging on a sofa.
"I could get you a t shirt of mine of something, if that doesn't bother you," he said politely.
"Oh that would be perfect." I smiled and set my mug down on the coffee table.
"Good, come on, I'll get you one." He hopped up and I followed him down the hall to his room.
It was a master bedroom, and a large glass sliding door led out onto a balcony at one end. I couldn't see much because the curtains were drawn.
"This is a nice room." I turned in a circle to look at it. The ceilings vaulted high, and it was as beautifully decorated as the rest of his house.
"Thank you." Dego walked into a closet and I came to stand in the doorway.
"Okay, any of these..." He ran his hand down a row of t shirts.
"Mmm, I don't care just pick one, " I said shyly.
He deliberated for a moment then grabbed a dark red one.
"It's really soft, " he said as he handed it to me," And I think that color looks good on you."
"Oh, okay." I took it from him with a smile, blushing I was sure.
"I would give you some shorts or whatever, but I think anything I have is going to be way too big for you."
"It's okay, I think it should be pretty long on me."
I shut the closet door and unbuttoned my blouse and skirt, letting them drop to the floor. I pulled the T-shirt over my head and took the hair pins out of my bun, letting it fall down in waves around my shoulders. I finger combed it back a little and then bent and picked up my clothes, setting them on an empty shelf.
There was a mirror in the closet as well and I could see the T-shirt fell easily past mid thigh. Satisfied, and reveling in the softness of the fabric, I exited the closet, to be confronted with the view of a shirtless Dego lounging back on his bed, wearing sweats again, this time a navy blue pair. He had that same v-line thing going on that Weston did, I noticed, only Weston's was a little more pronounced, being of a more lithe figure.
He sat up and put his phone down when I came out, and smiled.
"Forgive me for saying this, but you look really damn good in that."
"Ha, well thank you... I'll forgive you," I said, smirking.
Dego stood up, grabbed a throw blanket from the foot of his bed, and we headed back towards the livingroom.
I sat back in my place on the couch with a little shiver of excitement, taking my mug back up in my hands, it now being the perfect temperature.
We finally settled on a movie, and Dego got up to turn off the overhead lights leaving one lamp on.
He then picked up the throw and held it out to me.
"What, don't you want it? How are you not cold?"
"I'm just not," he said laughingly."Here."
"No you keep it," I protested.
In response Dego draped the blanket over my lap and tucked the edges under my thighs with mock aggression sat back.
"Okay, sheesh," I laughed.
I saw him smirk but he didn't look at me.
I loved the movie, and tried to contain my delighted apprehension throughout the movie, but time after time found myself clutching at his arm with both hands and squealing in suspense. The only thing he did was smile, and once when I was sitting cross-legged, holding to his forearm tightly in my lap, he took my foot in his hand and began slowly stroking circles with his thumb.
"Mmmm...that feels really good," I said softly.
"Does it?"
"Mhmm. Nobody ever did that to me before."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
He continued to stroke my foot, magically finding all the sore places and working them out, and then he switched to the other foot, doing the same thing.
"Is it weird how good that feels," I laughed.
"Why wouldn't it feel good, you've been working all day."
I shrugged and smiled, letting him continue.
He gently unfolded both of my legs from their position and drew them across his lap, shifting my body a little. I was half sitting up now, and unsure of what he wanted me to do.
He put a hand on my chest and gave me a gentle push so that I laid down, and continued to massage my feet, moving up to stroke my calves as well. I held back a moan, not wanting to give him the wrong message, but it just felt incredible.
He didn't seem like he was planning on stopping anytime soon either, because as soon as the first movie was done, he picked up the remote and selected another, and continued his methodic motions.